The Conyers Downtown Development Authority (DDA) recently presented the 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award to Tamara Gatson for preservation efforts and initiating innovative events and programs bringing visitors to Olde Town Conyers through her business The Book Cellar, located at 951 Railroad Street.

The Book Cellar opened in Olde Town Conyers in July 2022, and in addition to selling books, has created a warm and inclusive community for book-lovers. Retreats, children’s events, book clubs, a café, and even the recent transition of planning and executing the popular Conyers Book Festival this past spring have generated countless visitors and repeat customers to the store.  

“For 15 years, my office was inside a plaza on Sigman Road, less than two miles away,” said Gatson. “When that property suddenly changed ownership, I had no choice but to find a new location. When I came across 951 Railroad Street, it felt almost like a dream. Its beauty and charm immediately caught my eye, and I knew it was meant to be. Just two months later, that dream became a reality, and the doors opened for me to take the leap into realizing another dream of mine – owning a bookstore.”

Prior to The Book Cellar’s location at 951 Railroad Street, the Victorian-style building has seen a multitude of uses. It was constructed in the mid-1800s as a private residence and was known as the Almand-Mann House, reflecting the two earliest document families associated with the property. The building was once a funeral home owned by the Mann family, and later was home to Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant, a popular dining destination in the late 20^th century. The building’s storied past includes uses as a bordello, antique shop, attorneys’ offices, and a business center. Renovated in 2017, the building has since been used as professional offices, a training center, and today is home to an insurance agency, insurance and real estate training center, and The Book Cellar, Conyers’ first book café.

“Ms. Gatson and her team have done an exemplary job maintaining and preserving a historic building that accommodates multiple uses, all while creating an appealing and welcoming vibe that is much needed in Olde Town,” said DDA Chairman Keish Momin. “We are incredibly fortunate Ms. Gatson’s vision of a Black woman-owned bookstore and café came to fruition and are a vital part of our downtown.”  

This is the tenth year the DDA has presented the Outstanding Achievement Award to a business or individual in Olde Town Conyers that has taken great care and consideration with beautification, preservation and restoration of buildings in the historic district.

The Conyers Downtown Development Authority was created by the city of Conyers to be a catalyst for revitalization, promotion, development and redevelopment in Olde Town Conyers. The Conyers DDA Board of Directors consists of Thua Barlay, George Levett, Jr., Keish Momin, Jeff Owens, Ashley Rustom, Brad Smith and Caroline Williams. The DDA meets the first Tuesday of the month at Conyers City Hall at 6 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.

For more information and upcoming events at The Book Cellar, follow the business on social media @thebookcellaratl or email at info@abookcellar.net.

Left to right: Conyers DDA Board Member Jeff Owens, DDA Board Member Brad Smith, DDA Chairman Keish Momin, The Book Cellar owner Tamara Gatson, DDA Vice Chairman Ashley Rustom, DDA Board Member George Levett, Jr., and DDA Board Member Caroline Williams. Not pictured: DDA Board Member Thua Barlay.